As we transform into a highly competitive packaging provider, every step we take to optimize our network, drive efficiency, and innovate across our operations is also making us more sustainable.
It’s about delivering more value while creating less impact.
See more in a new article published in Glass International’s September issue. Link in the comments.
Designed to be savored long before the first sip.
Favori Méditerranée’s glass packaging is clean, contemporary, and yes…tableworthy.
The crystal-clear flint glass showcases the wine’s natural color while a clever double-sided label design creates a 360-degree brand moment.
This is how premium wine packaging can stand out on the shelf and during your next dinner party.
See how glass elevates every detail in our Design Book: https://www.o-i.com/glass-packaging-innovation/o-i-design-book-brand-building-glass-packaging-design/
What a difference a few years can make! In 2020, O-I launched our first community glass recycling program in Perrysburg, Ohio, home to our Global Headquarters. Since then, our efforts have expanded and we now operate more than 20 glass recycling programs throughout the United States. These initiatives have sparked the enthusiasm and passion of communities and residents for glass recycling, leading to rapid growth in many of our programs.
This growth couldn’t be more timely, as O-I recently announced a bold new target: achieving an average of 60% recycled content in our packaging globally by 2030. Our community programs are a crucial part of our strategy to reach this ambitious goal.
These creative and effective community recycling ecosystems not only increase the availability of recycled glass (cullet) for manufacturing but also keep glass out of the landfills. With the support of our dedicated partners across the value chain, we are transforming the landscape of glass recycling in the U.S, one glass bottle at a time.
Recycling Glass Bottles for Good
Glass4Good™ is one of O-I’s most unique and successful glass recycling initiatives. By incentivizing glass recycling through quarterly donations to local charitable organizations based on the weight of recycled glass, we maximize the positive impact of each glass bottle.
The initiative allows O-I to give back to the communities where our employees live and work, while fostering our commitment to keeping glass out of the landfills. Residents can make a meaningful difference not only for the environment, but also in their communities simply by recycling glass.
In Danville, Virginia, for example, Glass4Good™ supports Third Chance Housing. Executive Director Shakeva Frazier summed it up perfectly when she asked, “If you don’t have a dollar, do you have a bottle?” That spirit—making small, everyday actions meaningful—is at the heart of Glass4Good™.
Currently, O-I has five active Glass4Good™ programs, each supporting one of our plant communities. Through this initiative, we’ve seen remarkable growth in glass collections, with a 47% increase in the first quarter of 2025 compared to the same period last year. We achieved this growth by focusing on what works: education, outreach, and employee leadership.
With the help of our dedicated community partners, O-I has expanded recycling education to help more people understand the importance of glass recycling. We’ve created more opportunities for communities and residents to participate, and O-I employees stepped up to lead local initiatives and events that bring our mission to life.
Glass4Good™ has flourished because our people and our partners share our enthusiasm for glass recycling and social impact. Together, we can make a meaningful difference. To date, Glass4Good™ has recycled over 1,500 metric tons of glass, saving more than 1,740 tons of raw materials.
Glass4Good has seen a remarkable growth in glass collections, with a 47% increase in the first quarter of 2025 compared to the same period last year. (O-I Glass)
Building Local Glass Recycling Programs
We’ve learned that the most successful recycling programs are built locally. Each community has unique infrastructure, needs, and opportunities—and we tailor our approach accordingly.
Across the US, we’ve identified key areas and developed glass recycling “clusters.” These clusters are made up of groups of communities strategically located near glass processors and O-I facilities, ensuring the long-term sustainability of our programs.
These initiatives are made possible by O-I’s robust network of partners. We’ve collaborated with communities, customers, non-profits, and other entities to develop effective glass recycling solutions.
Carlyle Coppins with WNKY and Tom Flynn, United Way of Southern Kentucky Board member, recycle glass bottles at the Glass4Good launch in November. (Source: United Way of Southern Kentucky)
With their help, O-I currently supports 21 community recycling programs in the U.S., with four dozen glass collection sites in operation. In 2025 alone, our programs have recycled more than 400 metric tons of glass, equivalent to removing 30 passenger vehicles from the road in terms of greenhouse gas emissions. This material is transformed into new glass packaging at our manufacturing facilities and returns to the shelves as new glass bottles, sometimes in as little as 30 days.
O-I’s Aggressive Sustainability Goals
O-I is committed to achieving an average of 60% recycled content in our packaging by the end of this decade. Each of our community recycling programs brings us closer to reaching this ambitious goal. When O-I uses more recycled glass, we:
- Reduce energy consumption
- Extract and transport fewer raw materials
- Lower greenhouse gas emissions
- Keep glass waste out of landfills
Our updated goals will also positively impact our customers. By aligning our ambitions with those of our customers, we demonstrate our commitment to supporting their sustainability objectives. This is sustainability in action.
Every bottle counts, every partnership matters, and every action brings us closer to building a truly circular glass economy. And it all starts with one bottle.
Are you a B2B in the food and drink industry and asking these important questions?
Unleash your brand's potential through the transformative power of glass. O-I can show you how. O-I can show you how.
Your packaging isn’t just design for design’s sake; you’re telling your brand story.
When done right, packaging speaks to emotions, bypassing logic to connect with buyers on a deeper level. When consumers feel good about a product, they’re more likely to embrace its value.
What emotions does your packaging evoke?
Read more about how you can make emotional connections with consumers through packaging: https://www.o-i.com/whitepaper-winning-at-the-shelf-intro/
Step into Booth #716 and discover the innovation behind O-I’s 100+ years of expertise in the wine bottle packaging industry. Our commitment is evident in our new lightweight 400-gram bottle options, designed to meet industry challenges head-on. The premium presence of glass ensures your brand stands out with unmatched quality and elegance. Engage with our team, explore our diverse offerings, and learn how O-I continues to set the standard for excellence in wine bottling. Don’t miss this opportunity to experience firsthand the craftsmanship and passion that define O-I.
O-I Glass (O-I)
Unified Symposium Booth: 716
O-I is the leading glass packaging manufacturer for local and global food and beverage brands. We believe glass packaging helps brands stand out, creates connections with consumers, doesn’t interfere with the contents and is 100% recyclable. O-I not only offers a variety of wine bottle selections, but we also have dedicated research and design teams ready to work with you to create a unique package that aligns with your brand’s story. We offer full package solutions from creation to execution and production to promotion. Our teams are ready to help you choose glass for your next brand package so consumers can experience your expertly crafted beverages. Contact us today to learn more.
Keeping pace in today’s market requires wineries to juggle more considerations than ever. And while there are advantages to being a jack of all trades, navigating these other factors can distract from the winery’s main focus: making wine. By partnering with the right manufacturer, wineries can devote more energy to crafting their wine without ignoring other key elements required to launch a successful product.
As an industry-leading glass manufacturer, O-I offers wineries more than just beautiful bottles. Partners gain access to an in-house design team, superior sustainability initiatives, and over a century of market experience.
In-house design, out-of-the-box results
O-I’s team of designers have the branding skills and production experience to give your wine a stellar visual identity while considering the design limitations imposed by the glass manufacturing process. The exercise is easy on wineries, thanks to the award-winning design team’s ability to leverage their cross-functional expertise when bringing your packaging ideas to life.
Lower emissions with little effort
An increased number of today’s consumers are making purchase decisions based on a brand’s sustainability, and the wine market is no exception. To keep up, wineries are looking for ways to reduce their carbon footprint. O-I knows that this process can be overwhelming, which is why they’ve made it simple for wineries to achieve their sustainability goals without having to reinvent the wheel. By offering locally produced glass, lighter-weight designs, and leveraging local cullet supply, O-I is the ideal partner to help wineries achieve their sustainability goals.
Innovation through experience
As with the wine industry, O-I has spent a great deal of time and attention perfecting their processes. With a century plus in the industry, O-I is well versed in the challenges that arise when bottling and branding wine. While other manufacturers may avoid these restraints— O-I meets them head-on with innovative solutions. It’s in their DNA.
O-I’s story is consistently marked with innovation. In 1903, O-I revolutionized the packaging industry by inventing the first automatic bottle-making machine. Since then, the company has pioneered ambitious manufacturing processes, emphasized market intelligence to gain an edge, and championed production practices that continually raise the bar for the industry. Wineries can feel confident planning for their future with a manufacturer that values the past to pioneer positive change.
Wineries continue to increase their efforts to reduce their carbon footprint. From harvesting grapes grown in more sustainably focused ways, to water conservation, and fostering healthier soils, there are many things that can be done in the vineyard to make a positive impact on the local ecosystem and wildlife habitat.
Beyond environmentally conscious agricultural practices, it is important that wineries look to vendors that operate with similar sustainability views. One impactful consideration is which organization you turn to for glass packaging. If you are looking to step up your efforts even further, there is a reason to choose O-I as that partner. Since 2017, the organization’s multi-pronged approach to sustainability has resulted in a nearly 20% reduction in greenhouse (GHG) emissions.
Taking a more granular look at O-I, there are other factors that make the organization a leader in the sustainable packaging space. Here are some points to consider when it comes to strengthening a sustainable vision for your brand.
Dive into O-I’s sustainability report.
Lighter bottles. Lighter footprint.
O-I’s lighter-weight glass bottles, which comprise one-third of their wine bottle portfolio, are supporting sustainable initiatives by offering a lower carbon footprint. “The lightweight portfolio is gaining considerable momentum, and we’re receiving a lot of positive feedback,” says Jon French, O-I Commercial Director, Wine. “Many of our customers have expressed that, if they haven’t already started moving into lightweight offerings, they are strongly considering the transition.”
One organization influencing the lightweight trend is the Sustainable Wine Roundtable (SWRT), which brings together retailers and wine industry leaders, from wineries to packaging producers, to create global standards for wine sustainability. O-I joined SWRT in March, becoming the first glassmaker among over 120 members. SWRT is championing bottles of 420 grams or less and has pledged to pursue joint trials with the glass industry to produce even lower-weight bottles of around 350 grams. O-I’s lightweight portfolio supports customers interested in getting on board with those initiatives.
“Some wine customers were initially hesitant to transition to lighter-weight bottles for fear that they would lose some of their brand equity,” says French. “One reason is that as an industry we have trained the consumer to think that premium wines should come in heavier bottles. We have addressed this concern in our design by accentuating the shoulders and adding a more substantial punt, so they still get all the premium equity from the bottle. As a result, we are starting to see momentum as wineries are pleasantly surprised to find these options are available in a lighter-weight package.”
Location, location, location.
Sustainability initiatives often target material ingredients and manufacturing practices, leaving transportation an overlooked part of the puzzle. Transportation can make a significant impact. According to O-I calculations, GHG emissions from transportation can be reduced by 69% when transporting from an O-I West Coast plant to Napa as opposed to transporting from China to Napa.* Purchasing glass from a local supplier reduces the miles that glass must be transported, lowering carbon emissions.
O-I has a major West Coast footprint, with plants in Kalama (Washington) Portland, (Oregon), and Tracy and Los Angeles (California). These plants are strategically located to service West Coast wine producers, helping them achieve their sustainability goals through limiting transport emissions.
Read more about sustainable wine packaging.
Move forward with O-I
Embrace sustainability without compromising your brand’s growth. Partner with O-I to see how you can improve the future of your brand, and of the planet. Reducing your carbon footprint is easy with O-I’s locally produced lightweight bottles.
Discover the partnership possibilities.
*Sources: World Resources Institute standards, and O-I internal calculations. *Local = From Kalama / Tracy. Calculations are based on a standard 750ml bottle weighing five hundred grams. Production numbers for China are based on an example Chinese plant running on natural gas in 2020. Transportation numbers for ocean transport are based on nautical miles per 100,000-ton ship, averaging around 19,900nm. Transportation on land assumes a standard seventeen -ton truck traveling from the point of production or port to Napa Valley.